The automotive industry has always been one of the driving forces of the Italian economy, and has risen to major challenges in recent years, and regained its competitiveness through the digitalization of processes and new organizational models.
FCA's adoption of the WCM method, and its consequent adoption by all of FCA's vendors in order to achieve top performance levels, boosted adherence to ISO-TS 16949 quality standards and preventive and predictive maintenance procedures (CMMS). It also prompted a closer focus on production process monitoring (MES), order and stock planning (MRP), work scheduling (FCS/CRP), controlled materials handling and warehouse logistics (WMS).
Thanks to the full integration of these procedures into the ERP system, information now reaches the right people at the right time, materials are not left idle, while commercial, design, production, logistics and service personnel, plus all suppliers, work in perfect synchrony, in a context where eliminating waste and achieving full customer satisfaction are the primary objectives of everyone concerned.
SAM ERP2 is a latest-generation ERP system designed and developed by Centro Software to meet the specific needs of automotive companies, their supply chains and their international relations.
Perfect integrated management of production processes, with MRP1 Planning, MPS, MRPII closed-cycle scheduling, Lean Manufacturing, KanBan, consignment stock, processing by and for third parties, plant and resource management with real-time monitoring of production phases (MES), predictive maintenance (CMMS), optimization of stocks in order to minimize unproductive assets, logistics management and materials handling control by means of wireless bar code reading, ISO TS 16949 quality controls, trackability, web portals (for vendors, customers, agents and technicians), calculation of the profit margins and industrial accounting, CRM and administrative and financial management are just some of the functions that help automotive companies achieve maximum efficiency.
SAM ERP2 is a comprehensive multilingual system for managing all the internal and external processes of automotive companies, including: MPS, MRP1 and MRP2 planning, Lean Manufacturing, KanBan, processing by and for third parties, MES, Plant Maintenance, Purchasing, ISO TS 16949 Quality, technical attributes for each batch, logistics and goods storage (consignment stock, Italy and abroad), and online connections with the supply and sales chain and vendor portals, plus administration, treasury, financial management, management control, etc..
Integration between technical departments and customers plays a vital role in streamlining all processes. The advanced PLM and PDM features provide technical departments with an efficient, straightforward way of "describing" raw materials and products on the basis of "editions" and "revisions" of drawings, bills of materials and processing cycles.
From demand (forecasts, goods orders, work orders, etc.) to delivery of the finished product, SAM ERP2 guides operators to ensure optimum management of all business flows, including: generation of production and purchasing plans (MRP), scheduling and management of orders and processing, quality control, management of materials and their processing.
The system also comprises comprehensive capability for logistics management (with the support of INDICOD standards), which makes it possible to identify raw materials and batches (e.g. for casting), with chemical analysis certificates and all the necessary information for meeting internal or customer technical specifications. The schedulers and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) help generate a "continuous flow" of processes, and optimize the management of teams and resources (manned and unmanned) to achieve the highest possible levels of efficiency and productivity.
The configuration of users and "roles" makes it possible to establish the permissions and responsibilities of operators in accordance with the rules in use in the mechanical engineering industry, while the flexible system for business workflow modeling (Application Designer Kit - "ADK") provides a tool for configuring and validating data and processes.
SYNCHRONIZATION with CUSTOMER REQUESTS
SAM ERP2 ensures optimal synchronization between demand for and availability of products. Thanks to the new EDI tools and specific web portals, it is possible to collect and re-process operating orders, forecasts and customer MRPs in a streamlined manner. Management of the "sales forecast plan" (MPS), with open orders and framework contracts, makes it possible to program procurement (purchasing and production of finished or semi-finished products) either separately from or jointly with the real order book, and even in the absence of actual orders, with a system that is designed to manage "delivery programs" and "open orders"..
MRP PROCESSING AND WORK SCHEDULING
The allocation of work to resources makes it possible to forecast product availability and delivery dates not only on the basis of order planning (MRP-I), but also on the basis of the actual production capacity of the company or strategic contractors, taking account of machines, plants, calendars, priorities and relationships between processing phases, production cells and departments or cost centers (MRP-II).
For instant control, the system provides "dispatch lists" (work sequences) for each production resource, analysis of "queues" for each Production Order and Gantt charts which can also be modified graphically to change the scheduling in real time, with the possibility of producing different scheduling plans and significantly reducing cases of non-compliance associated with non-fulfillment of delivery dates.
PRODUCTION ORDERS and MES (Manufacturing Execution System)
SAM ERP2 manages all phases of operational production, both in-house and on the sites of external vendors, with production orders, picking slips, works sheets, advance checking of pickability (on the basis of batch characteristics, raw materials technical data, quality specifications, customer specifications, etc.), work phase progress, time reading, and management of testing and approval areas.
Work completed, Work In Progress, commitments and the availability of materials can be instantly checked and valued. The MES subsystem enables you to conduct real-time checks on the status of each resource (manned, unmanned and traditional machines, and plants and personnel) by means of a synoptic panel, read production times by means of bar codes, read personnel time and attendance in order to balance hours, with graphs for monitoring the output of each resource, and manage routine and reactive maintenance plans for the maintenance of plant and machinery.
MANAGEMENT OF WAREHOUSES and LOGISTICS
The system enables you to allocate the necessary technical/administrative data to each batch or loading unit for controlled, certified and consistent goods handling. Thanks to integration with the "advanced wireless logistics" warehouse management system (WMS), goods can be identified and handled by reading the bar codes, which are validated in real time by the central system: entries, withdrawals, transfers, shipments, but also inventories, checks and sampling plans, storage location management (aisles/levels/columns), "loading units", as well as dynamic mapping of warehouses and optimization of space.
QUALITY, TRACKABILITY and TRACEABILITY
With SAM ERP2, it is possible to generate a continuous flow for trackability and quality controls, involving all company departments and vendors. The SAM ERP2 quality system is integrated into all business processes and set up to manage various methods and procedures: ISO TS 16949 standards, Control Plans, FMEA, PFMEA, 8D Reports (internal and external), flow charts, customer failure analyses, lessons learned, corrective actions, quality manuals, skills matrices, qualification plans, job description documents, blank forms, APQP, laboratory analyses, risk assessments, ISO acceptable quality levels (AQLs), ISO and personal Sampling Methods, sampling plans by vendor (with severity levels depending on recorded performance), Approval and Non-Conformity Reports, etc.
PLANT MAINTENANCE, WCM and CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)
SAM ERP2 helps manage the maintenance of company plants and equipment, by proposing “overhaul”, “replacement” or “repair” operations before any malfunctions occur (Preventive and Predictive Maintenance). This makes it possible to schedule maintenance-related plant downtimes at the most appropriate times, thus optimizing the use of the plants in question, in compliance with the requirements of World Class Manufacturing (WCM). Maintenance Orders (MOs) contain a bill of materials with all the necessary information for picking the relevant parts and carrying out the work. They are automatically entered in a specific calendar and in the MRP1 process, the scheduling plan (FCS) and the corresponding Gantt chart, with the possibility of interactive drag & drop editing and correct final accounting at any time, including by Maintenance Order.
INDUSTRIAL ACCOUNTING and MANAGEMENT CONTROL
SAM ERP2 offers detailed allocation of costs and revenues by destination, with 2 main objectives: work order analytical accounting (itemized statements by customer, agent, article, etc., with evidence of profit margins) and cost center accounting, which collects the costs allocated to each department and calculates the costs per "unit of work" (gross hourly cost for personnel or plants). Accounting by business area (or division) also generates sector-specific statements by branch, production line, division, break-even point, etc.
The DATAMINING system also automatically collects the necessary summary information for monitoring and directing the entire enterprise.
